Unfamiliar Temptation
by NeonicPoizon
Summary: When Beth is in distress, Rick quickly comes to the rescue. He saves her from a group of walkers,and they end up forced to sleep in and old, abandoned house until the next day. Their time together may end up bringing them closer than they thought possible.(Complete) Rick Crimes and Beth Greene.


Rick took cover against a large oak tree and peered from behind it. The field before him was covered with the walking dead, each one unique only by the way that it was dressed. Other than clothing, the beings seemed to act the same. Of course they do. After all, they're nothing more than mindless zombies lurking around in a field; tainting the world with their inability to think. They don't care what harm they cause, and they'll eat anything that they can sink their rotting teeth into.

"Ah!"

Rick flinched in surprise. He turned his gaze away from the dead lurking beyond and looked into the woods, wondering where the sudden shout had come from. He was unaware of who had made the noise, but knew that it was female. Drawing his gun from the holster at his hip, he stared into the woods, glancing in every direction.

He heard somebody yell again. It was louder, and sounded desperate. He was unable to see anybody, but knew that he had to do something. Quickly, the former sheriff sprang to his feet, running into the wooded area. As he got further into the woods, he could just barely make out the word.

"Rick!"

It was a young girl, begging for him to come to her aid. Rick fastened his pace upon realizing who it was who had been yelling.

_It has to be Maggie, _He thought, _Or Beth._

Why one of the Greene girls had been out in the woods was a mystery to him, but he didn't seem to care. All he knew was that one of them was in trouble- most likely dead- if he didn't find them soon. The screaming had stopped, and he wondered if perhaps he were too late.

As if on cue, another scream echoed throughout the area.

"Rick! Help!"

He jerked his gaze ninety-degrees to the left and peered through a nearby shrub. Just beyond a large ravine, he made out the shape of a young woman on a fifteen-foot-high cliff. She was dangling down the side of it, using a loose tree root to keep herself from falling. On the edge of the cliff was a group of walkers, hungrily staring down at her. Quickly, Rick ran over to the shrubs and pushed his way beyond them. He found himself on the opposite side of the ravine.

Upon further examination of the situation, he realized that Beth was the young girl dangling from the cliff. There were exactly three walkers above her. Another group of about five or so was in the mucky ravine, attempting to climb up the dirt wall that she was dangling from. They were digging their mutilated claws into the earth, fortunately unable to ascend due to the dirt being too muddy to grasp.

Rick raised his gun and aimed.

_**Pop!**_

One of the walkers that were above Beth fell onto its knees and rolled over the edge of the cliff. It smacked into the muddy water below. None of the other walkers seemed affected by the occurrence. A few of them looked away from Beth to look around for the source of the gunshot, but quickly turned their attention back to Beth when realizing that she was still there.

_**Pop! Pop!**_

The other two walkers above Beth fell onto the damp ground, discontinued by bullets to the head.

Beth looked up to find her rescuer on the other side of the ravine. He was holding up a light-weight pistol. Another shot echoed through the area as he killed off one of the unholy creatures trying to grab her from below. After another four shots, Rick had managed to destroy all of Beth's undead assailants. She was about to let go of the vine and allow herself to drop into the water below so that she could swim over to Rick, but disliked the idea of plunging into a pool of dead bodies. Instead of diving into the walker-infested water below, she waited for Rick.

"Wait there!" He demanded, running off to find a way across the ravine.

Rick disappeared for a moment, and Beth suddenly filled with fear again. She found herself involuntarily yelling out his name.

"I'm right here," Rick said, startling her.

He had materialized above her, holding out a hand for her to grab.

"Th-thanks," She stuttered, grabbing his hand.

Rick pulled her onto the top of the short cliff and jammed his gun back into the holster. He scrutinized Beth's worn features, surprised by how filthy she was. She was wearing torn khaki capris and a white tank top. Her capris were caked in mud at the knees and along the right hip. Where the capris had been torn, her legs revealed cuts and bruises. Her tank top was brown, flecked with white spots, where the original fabric was barely visible beneath the mud. There was a bit of blood around the collar, but Rick didn't know whether it had come from Beth or one of the walkers.

"What the hell were you doing out here?" Rick asked incredulously.

Beth flinched at the hostility in his voice. She could see the anger in his eyes. It felt as if he might actually lash out and hit her, but she knew that he would never do that. He was undeniably pissed off, but Beth knew that he would never hurt a woman.

Still, Rick's cold, harsh glare made her uncomfortable.

"Do you realize what could have happened? What if I wasn't here to save you? You could have just gotten yourself killed!" Rick scolded, pointing to the ravine. He was referring to not only the cliff, but the entire wooded area before them.

"I'm sorry," She mumbled, wiping her mouth with the back of her left hand.

"Sorry," Rick repeated, "You could have been eaten alive, and all you've got to say is that you're sorry. You shouldn't have been out here. Dammit, you don't even have something to protect yourself. What on Earth were you thinking?"

His voice had raised an octave so that he was now shouting. Beth took a cautious step away from him. She felt like curling into a ball and crying, but remaining adrenaline prevented her from doing so.

"Are you stupid?"

Beth opened her mouth to reply, but didn't know what to say. She closed her mouth and licked her lips, swallowing hard. As the silence dragged on, Beth could feel her adrenaline dropping. With it gone, she realized how close she had just come to dying. She realized how truly furious Rick was with her, and she knew that she was in a lot of trouble.

Without warning, her eyes glazed over and her throat closed up. She blinked rapidly to keep her tears from escaping. Stifling a sob, she mumbled another apology, turning her head away from Rick's gaze so that he wouldn't see her cry.

At the sight of her distress, Rick felt bad for yelling at her. He was still angry that she had been so foolish, but knew that yelling at her wouldn't make a difference. Without saying anything, Rick took a step forward and wrapped his arms around the girl's trembling body in an attempt to comfort her.

"I'm glad you're okay," He replied.

This seemed to work, because Beth's crying slowly subsided. She wrapped her arms around Rick, snuggling her face into his chest. He tensed up, feeling a bit awkward as the young girl released the remainder of her sadness into his T-shirt. After a while, he relaxed. He couldn't help but realize how nice it felt nice to be embraced by a woman again.

Beth released her rescuer, taking a step back. She plucked a twig out of her hair and shamefully looked down at the ground. Rick sternly crossed his arms over his chest. He took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly. This gained the young farmer-girl's attention.

"I want you to tell me what you were doing out here," He said, "And I want an honest answer. I need to be able to tell Hershel what happened so that he doesn't yell at me when I take you back."

Beth's glance shot up.

"Please don't tell Hershel! I didn't –"

"Stop it. You're seventeen," Rick pointed out, "You're pretty much an adult. You need to learn how to deal with the consequences of your actions."

Beth lowered her gaze again.

"I was just following you," She said in a hushed voice," I wanted to come with you, but I knew my dad wouldn't let me, so I snuck out."

"Now why would you want to do something like that?" Rick asked.

He leaned to one side and put a hand on his hip, just above the gun in its holster. Beth's face twisted into an odd expression. She was contemplating on an answer. Rick could tell that she was conjuring up a lie.

"Don't you dare lie to me." He said rather authoritatively.

"I don't know. I just…well…"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to go with you," She answered at last, her cheeks turning slightly red.

Rick cocked his head to one side, and he seemed to be studying her. A twig snapped nearby, and both of them jerked there gaze toward where the sound had come from. A small rabbit scurried in their direction. It seemed unaware of their presence.

"Just a rabbit," Rick replied, as if Beth needed to be reassured that their was no danger lurking nearby.

"So, are you going to explain to me why you followed me out here?" He asked, "Or do I have to drag you back to camp and tell your father that you ran off and tried to get yourself killed?"

Beth gave him a pleading look, but knew that it would do no good.

"I like you," Beth explained, "I think you're a pretty neat guy."

Rick grunted.

"Well thanks, but that doesn't explain anything, either. Don't try to get on my good side by kissing my ass. I just want an explanation."

Beth's faced burned an even brighter red now. She was becoming a little frustrated by the fact that Rick didn't understand, but didn't dare raise her voice to him. Mostly because she was a bit intimidated by him, but also because she had been raised as a respectful young lady. Even if Rick was being a stubborn ass, there was no need for her to yell.

"My dad doesn't give me a lot of freedom. I just wanted to get out, I swear. And, well… I don't really trust anyone other than you. I can tell that you're a good man, and that you can hold your own. That's why I decided to follow you. I trusted that you could protect me if it was necessary."

Rick's expression softened and he smiled. Beth was usually shy. She kept to herself and didn't say much. The fact that she was opening up to him was charming. The compliments were nice, too.

"You should have told me you were coming along."

"You wouldn't have let me."

"If Hershel-"

"He wouldn't."

Rick realized that it was becoming increasingly dark outside. He hadn't brought a flashlight with them, and it was likely that more walkers would arrive soon because of the gunshots he had fired earlier. They needed to get to somewhere safe.

"Follow me," He turned and began walking in the other direction," We won't be able to get to camp before the sun sets, but I passed an old house on the way here. We'll have to sleep there tonight. It's the safest option for us at the moment."

Even though Rick couldn't see her, Beth nodded in agreement.

:::::::::::::

The two of them arrived at an old house just as the last ray of sunshine was disappearing behind the hills in the East. Beth examined the shabby sea foam green building and couldn't help but think that the color was hideous when mixed with pale orange shutters. Rick didn't pay much attention to the exterior. He went directly up to the front door and opened it, walking in without any precautionary measures. Beth found it odd that he would enter so haphazardly, until he explained that he had explored the house the day before and there was nothing inside. Since walkers were mindless idiots, he found it unlikely that any had managed to get into the building after he had secured all of the doors.

Beth simply shrugged following him inside. She pushed herself against the wall as he reached back, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Come on into the kitchen, so I can get you cleaned up."

Beth followed him into a spacious dining area, which was attached to the kitchen. Rick pulled a chair out from the breakfast table and gestured for Beth to sit. She did as he wanted. Patiently, the young girl watched as Rick rummaged through the cupboards, presumably looking for some medical supplies. He walked out of the kitchen, and then came back a few minutes later, holding a bottle of peroxide, a first-aid kit, some bandages, and a bottle of prescription painkillers. He was having difficulty holding all of it, but didn't ask for any help.

After setting everything down on a counter-top, he opened the first-aid kit, examining its contents. He glanced over at Beth, who was sitting patiently on the chair he had offered her. She seemed to be watching him curiously, a hint of wonder in her gaze. Rick laughed.

"You probably know more about this stuff than I do," He said, "But I'll try my best."

Beth nodded complacently. All of her injuries were pretty minor, so she had no doubt that Rick would be able to handle it.

Rick walked over to the sink and turned it on. He held his hand under the water until it was warm, and then opened all of the cabinets, searching for a clean bowl. He found a small cereal bowl, and decided that it would work. After filling it with water, he turned the sink off and put the bowl on the counter next to the medical supplies he had managed to find. Looking around, he realized that he would need a towel. Before leaving the kitchen for a second time, he told Beth that he would be right back. He was gone for a mere seven minutes before returning with three large towels. He placed them on the counter and began opening drawers until he found silverware. Plucking a knife from the drawer, he took one of the towels and cut it into ten miniature towels; wash cloths.

He placed the wash cloths, the peroxide, the bandages, and the bowl of water on the breakfast table next to Beth. After pulling out another chair, he sat down and grabbed her leg, propping it up on his knee. Beth watched as he carefully rolled her pant leg up to her thigh. Silently, he grabbed one of the wash clothes and dipped it into the bowl of water, proceeding to gently wipe her leg with it.

Rick suddenly felt very distant, focusing on nothing other than her injuries. He didn't say anything, and his expression didn't tell her much, either. Beth wondered if he was still angry.

"Ow," She flinched away as he cleaned one of the gashes in her knee.

Rick apologized, but refrained from looking up at her. He continued to clean her wound. When he had managed to rid her leg of dirt, he threw the wash cloth into the nearby trash can. He grabbed another piece of cloth, this time drenching it with peroxide.

"This might sting a little," He said, looking up at Beth. She nodded.

He gently glided the cloth over scratches along her leg. She winced as the chemical seeped into her injuries. Rick finished, and then threw that cloth into the trash can, as well. He took a dry wash cloth and dabbed it over her leg, so that it would be dry enough to bandage. After covering her leg with small Band-Aids, Rick dropped her leg on the ground. He picked her other leg up, continuing to do the same to it as he had with the first. When he was finished with her legs, there were four wash cloths left. He picked one up and dipped it in the bowl of water. Leaning forward, he gently wiped the blood and dirt off of her face. This was the closest he had ever been to her. He couldn't help but realize that she was actually very attractive behind the mask of dirt, sweat, and blood.

Beth diverted her gaze, and Rick realized that he had been staring at her. Pointing at a large scratch just above her right eye, he cleared his throat.

"How'd you get that?" He asked.

"I ran into a tree branch."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not too bad."

Her lips curled up at the corners as she realized how worried he was.

"I'm fine," She said, "Nothing too bad."

Rick mumbled something under his breath. She wasn't sure, but it sounded like "You're lucky". He dabbed a bit of peroxide on the cut above her eye, and she reflexively closed her eye, afraid that he might get the nasty chemical into it. She opened it again when he was done.

"Thank you."

Rick stood up and grabbed one of the towels off of the counter top. Handing it to Beth, he pointed down a hallway leading out of the kitchen.

"There's a bathroom down the hall if you want to clean yourself up.''

Reaching over, he grabbed a pale blue blouse from the counter full of medical supplies. Beth hadn't noticed him bring it in.

"Here," He said, handing the shirt to her.

::::::::::

When Beth emerged from the bathroom, Rick was sitting on an old love seat in what used to be a living room. He was eating something out of a can. Upon further examination, Beth realized that it was sliced peaches. The sight of them made her stomach growl, and she realized how hungry she was. Rick looked up and found that she was eyeballing the can. He held it out to her, offering if she wanted any.

"No thanks," She replied, he voice barely above a whisper.

"What'd you eat today?"

Beth didn't reply.

"I thought so," Rick mumbled. He shook the can towards her, "Go ahead'n take it."

"But then you-"

"I'm fine. You need to eat."

Beth reluctantly took the can. Sitting next to Rick, she plucked a peach out of the container and ate it, savoring the syrupy flavor. She ate another slice, and then another. After all of the fruit was gone, she put the can up to her lips ad tipped the remaining contents into her mouth. Rick shook his head, laughing inwardly. He found her inability to hide hunger quite amusing.

"There's a bedroom upstairs," He said.

Beth watched as he stood up from the love seat and walked off. She heard a loud noise in the other room. Curious, she stood up and walked in the same direction that Rick had. She found him in the foyer, pushing a large dresser against the front door. He had done the same to the back door, as well. Looking around, she saw that most of the windows had also been boarded up. The previous occupants had either covered them with plywood, or nailed large two-by-fours across them. Either way, they would be relatively safe as long as they stayed inside of the house.

"You best get to bed," Rick said after he had successfully pinned the door shut, "We're going to leave first thing in the morning, and it'll be a long walk back."

Beth nodded. Rick led her down the hall and opened a small white door, revealing wooden steps that led into a large bedroom area. Without hesitation, he gestured for her to go first. She did as he wanted, walking up the stairs. Looking down, she watched as Rick closed the door and locked it. He climbed up the stairs and met her at the top. The only light provided was that coming from the window. It provided just enough to see throughout the area.

Before them was a very dull room. The walls were white and plain; no pictures or posters hanging from them to reveal what kind of people had used to live there. The bed was king-sized, covered in a black comforter and grey pillows. It's frame was wooden, with four large posts that held a large black canopy. Against the opposite wall was a large desk, which looked like it was made out of the same wood as the bed frame. The closet door next to it was just as white as the walls, but the paint had been partially pealed off. The only other furniture in the room was a dilapidated sofa on the far side of the room. It was secluded from everything else. Rick sighed.

"It's not much, bit it will have to do for now."

Beth watched as he walked over to the old piece of furniture and sat down. He bent over and untied his boots, taking them off. Exhausted, he set them to the side,and spread himself out on the sofa. It wasn't very comfortable, but he didn't mind.

Looking over, he realized that Beth did. Her expression was filled with concern.

"What?"

"That doesn't look very comfortable."

"It'll do."

"Are you...Are you sure you wouldn't prefer the bed?"

"You can have it."

Beth furrowed her brow. She seemed uneasy, as if she wanted to say something, but didn't know how to phrase it.

"What is it?" Rick asked.

"We could share it..." She replied. Her voice was just above a whisper.

"I can't hear you."

"I said," She raised her voice," We could share it."

Rick sat up again, as if contemplating the idea. He definitely wouldn't mind something other than that horrid little sofa. However, the idea of sleeping in the same bed as a seventeen-year-old girl felt a bit inappropriate.

"I don't mind," Beth said after a while.

"Are you sure?"

Beth nodded. Hesitantly, Rick grabbed his boots and walked over to the watched as the young woman on the other side kicked her shoes off and laid down. She pulled the black comforter over herself and shut her eyes. Rick pushed the comforter aside and sat down, peeling his sweat-crusted shirt off. Beth must have already fallen asleep,because he could hear her soft, steady breathing.

As carefully as he could, Rick laid down. He crossed his arms behind his head and gazed up at the canopy,allowing his mind to wander. After a while, his eyelids felt heavy. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

That night he dreamt about a young blonde woman. Her beautiful blue eyes stared up at him with wonder. She was holding Judith, his newborn daughter. It was scene that he had seen many times before; Beth often cared for Judith.

::::::::::::

When Beth woke the next morning, she was surprised to feel Rick's body against hers. He was sleeping,but his arm was wrapped around her waist. His bare chest was directly against her back. His body was extremely warm. Beth carefully raised her arm and peeled the comforter away from herself. Rick's body heat was more than enough to keep her warm. Especially since it wasn't particularly cold in the house.

Even though she had been careful, her sudden movement had woke Rick up. He realized that his arm was wrapped around the seventeen-year-old's waist, and quickly made to remove it. Beth grabbed his hand before he could do so. She replaced his hold on her and mumbled something.

"I'm comfortable," She replied.

Rick smiled. He kept his arm wrapped around her waist, snuggling into her matter how inappropriate some people may view the gesture ,he just didn't care. Nobody was around to judge them. Besides, it had been a long time since he had been so intimately close to a woman. It felt nice.


End file.
